


Ratatouille 2

by NewChefInTown



Category: Ratatouille (2007)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24419359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewChefInTown/pseuds/NewChefInTown
Summary: This story went from a class assignment to a dare into a real project-A new colony has moved into the ground below Remy's restaurant. Remy and his family must form good relations with the new colony if they hope to keep the peace between the two families. However, by doing so they find themselves among new challenges that may just end with their downfall. Will Remy and Emile bring peace throughout La Ratatouille? The answer may be more complicated than expected.
Kudos: 5





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ratatouille](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/625876) by Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco. 



‘This is the dream,’ Remy sighed not with contempt but with a feeling of satisfaction. He stood up from his microscopic bed, his head held high as he took in the sunlight creeping in from his window. Paris was just beginning to wake up so the noise outside wasn’t anything for Remy to take note of. Soon, however, the streets would be filled with the bustle of buses, taxis, cars, and people of all kinds going on about their days like they usually do. They weren’t important though. No, the ones that mattered were lined up along the side of his restaurant “La Ratatouille.” After “Gustou’s” shut down, Remy made sure to take extra care of his beloved restaurant, it was home afterall. He’d do just about anything to ensure that the people of Paris were not only satisfied with his cooking, but we’re proud to show off their love for it as well.

Of course, as long as they don’t find out that he’s a rat. Now all Remy has to do is keep it a secret for as long as possible. With that thought in mind, Remy began his morning duties with a small gleam in his eyes.

He picked up that small, makeshift blow horn he’d made and brought it up to his whiskers. “IF ALL OF YOU DON’T WAKE UP RIGHT NOW THEN SO HELP ME I’LL MAKE SURE NONE OF YOU GET TO EAT ANY CAMEMBERT FOR DINNER TONIGHT!”

And just like that, the attic of “Le Ratatouille” started buzzing with activity. Rats from every corner stirred awake and began to prepare for the busy day ahead of them.

“Nothing like a good yell from the chef to get ‘em going, eh Remy?”

Remy turned to his father with a small chuckle. “You know as well as I do that they won’t wake up to anything else. Besides, this way I don’t have to wake them up individually.”

His father grunted in disapproval, but made no move to oppose Remy’s orders. “I think your brother’s having trouble getting up, though. You might want to give him a hand.”

Remy turned to the bed beside his and found Emile struggling to get up from his bed. He seemed to be a little too round to pull himself up from his bed. Remy couldn’t stop himself from smiling. His brother was a goofball sure, but he always managed to be there for Remy when he needed someone to confide in. So he walked over to his brother and extended his hand. “Need a hand-er, I mean, paw?”

Emile glanced at Remy’s extended paw. “Remy! Yes, please!”

With Remy’s help, Emile managed to get up from his bed. Now that he was on his feet he was ready to start setting up the day’s menu. Brown side by blue side they headed to the mini elevator that Linguini had installed to bring to the kitchen. Once there, Remy and Emile headed to sink and washed their paws in a comfortable silence.

The silence was broken not a second later when Remy heard Linguini call him out from behind. “So, what’s the special for today, little chef?”

Remy’s gaze averted from Emile’s sloppy handwashing to Linguini’s shaky smile. Remy blinked. Did he even have to say it? It should be obvious. It is the name of the restaurant afterall. He didn’t know if he could Linguini seriously or not, so he pointed a languid finger to the sign behind him that read “Le Ratatouille, kitchen quarters.”

At first, Linguini didn’t quite understand Remy’s point. After a second or two, Linguini understood. “Right! Yeah...it is your specialty afterall. Just thought you might want to change it up a little,” Linguni awkwardly replied.

Remy didn’t mind Linguini’s skittish nature. He was quite fond of it actually. He simply smiled and gestured towards the top of Linguini’s head. This silent request was immediately met by Linguini settling Remy on the top of his head. The two went straight to the back of the kitchen, the place that Remy felt most comfortable cooking. Although Remy didn’t say it, Linguini knew he was thankful for his help. They were Gustou’s successors, so they helped one another whenever they could.

“And here’s your stop, little guy!” Linguini exclaimed. He let Remy walk onto his hand and set him down onto the stove. “I’ll go set up the tables until the others get here. I’ll leave you to it, chef.” With that, Linguini exited the kitchen to start the morning tasks.

 _Ah, chef,_ Remy thought. There was nothing else that could make him happier than being called chef. _Actually,_ he thought, _how about head chef?_ As Remy stirred up some sauce he thought of the possible title she could obtain if his restaurant continued to do well. He continued like that until the time came for lunch.

“Food break!” Remy excitedly claimed.

He looked around for a moment, searching for his brother’s whereabouts so that they could have lunch together with their dad. For some reason, he could not find his brother anywhere he looked. _That’s weird,_ he thought, _maybe he forgot?_ He paused. _No, there’s no way he would forget since he seemed excited about it yesterday so how could he? Maybe he went up to the colony’s common room? No, he didn;t have any food stored there so he couldn’t be. So the next logical conclusion would be…_ Remy’s head turned towards the doors out back leading to the garbage can filled alley. _You know what, knowing him he probably would._

Determined, Remy marched off towards the alley behind the restaurant. A few feet away and Remy could hear two voices shouting. He froze. Would his brother really pick a fight with someone? Mayhaps. Though it was more likely that the other party would pick a pick with his brother. Nonetheless, he rushed through the doors and found Emile fighting with another rat over what looked like a piece of garbage in their paws.

Remy sighed. It seemed as though his brother felt no shame at all. He debated with himself for a minute. Should he interfere? The two weren’t fighting aggressively at all, it most accurately resembled a game of tug-of-war. Yet again, he did owe it to his brother for backing him up with his cooking.

Resolutely and without words, Remy picked up a piece of moldy bread from the ground and threw it at his brother’s opponent. The bread managed to hit the rat right at his nose, successfully disorienting the rat and making him scatter off down the alley.

“Nice!” Remy celebrated.

Emile, stunned, turned towards Remy with a hint of amusement. “Thanks, brother!”

“No problem. What were you doing out here anyway?” Remy questioned.

Emile shuffled towards Remy. “You know the new colony that moved in under the restaurant? Well, I’d heard that they had a chef among them as well! I didn’t think there’d be anybody else like you , so I didn’t believe the rumors at first. But, I got really curious so I snuck out of the kitchen early to meet him-”

“You skipped work?” Remy chastised.

“Yeah, but listen! I met him! He actually turned out to be a really nice guy. He even gave me a piece of his steamed potato!” Emile held up the potato piece to Remy. The look in his eyes showed that he was proud of his effort and Remy really didn’t have it in him to squash his little brother’s happiness. He chose not to comment on it and instead asked, “Did you at least get his name?”

“He said his name was-” Emile was interrupted by the door opening. Their father emerged from the other side with a confused look on his face.

“Boys, I thought we were meeting for lunch? Not only do I not find either of you in the common room, but I find you in the alley with garbage. The last place I expected you, Remy.”

Remy and Emile turned to their father with a start, they had completely forgotten. Before Remy could reply, Emile interrupted him, “Coming, dad!” and just like that Emile had joined his father in the kitchen.

 _I didn’t even get to hear his name,_ Remy sighed.

His father shouted from behind him, “Ey son, you comin’?”

Putting aside his thoughts for now, Remy joined his father. “Yeah dad, I’m comin.”


	2. 2

Remy’s table was quiet, not a sound was made except for the chatter of the rest of the colony around them. For the past 10 minutes, Remy hadn’t even touched his food. While his brother and father were eating their hearts out, Remy sat at his side of the table in slight irritation. He could not stop thinking about the other chef. Why hadn’t he heard of them before? Did the rest of the colony know about them? What were their limits as a chef? Most importantly, were they better than Remy? Remy’s thoughts ran rampant, all the while his food stayed untouched, growing cold with each passing second.

His father and Emile made brief eye contact with each other, silently agreeing to tear Remy out of his silent stupor.

Emile cleared his throat, “So, uH, Remy I was just about to tell dad about that new recipe you were working on. What was it called? Chicken basket or something?”

Remy looked up at Emile with a look of disbelief. “It’s called chicken basquaise, which is actually braised chicken sprinkled with salt and freshly ground pepper all stirred with vegetables and sesame seeds. The peppers give the chicken a little bit of a smoky, yet flaky flavor that I think would go great with chopped onion, but I’m not entirely sure if the onion’s texture would be too much of a stark contrast-”

And just like that Remy was able to put aside his anxious thoughts in favor of talking to his family about his passion.

His father and Emile listened, glad that they could once again listen to Remy excitedly describe his future endeavors.

The rest of the meal was full of laughter and cheerful dining.


	3. 3

Atticus awoke with a start, his mind running with a fresh idea for a recipe that he immediately decided he’d try. His brown fur was itching to get started, to feel the warmth of the stove radiating into his short fur. His “stove” was a self-made model that shook a little each time he used it. Nonetheless, it hardly ever broke down and it always got the job done, so he wasn’t complaining. He was satisfied.

His gaze trailed over to the rest of his colony with haste. Everyone was asleep. He could hear the little ones near him softly snoring in a steady rhythm. All the rats had snuggled with their families in their own little nesting areas, sleeping soundly without a care in the world. Atticus felt around his own nesting place, his hands running over the harsh edges of the ground all around him. The jagged bumps, the scratches from the many generations that had probably come before them. But he wouldn’t know about any of that. Nobody really bothered to tell him.

He glanced at the small crack in the ceiling and saw that a sliver of light was starting to peek through. He would have to get up soon. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted to maintain his colony.

He lifted himself up and got to work waking up his people. The day would be long, but the payoff will be worth it ...at least, that’s what he told himself.

  
  


“Gently, or else it’ll crumble,” Remy seethed out. Currently, he and Emile were putting together a plate of ratatouille for none other than Anton Ego. With his newfound free time, he often found himself visiting the small, yet successful restaurant. His dish of choice nine out of ten times was ratatouille. Surprisingly, Remy bore no distaste for Ego’s unchanging food palette. Rather he seemed to hold a sort of understanding towards Ego. So he never bothered to say anything.

“I don’t understand,” Emile disclosed, “why does it need to be stacked up so neatly if it’s all going to end up messy in the stomach anyway?”

Remy smiled and replied, “Well, Emile, it’s all about presentation. By stacking it up and topping it with sauce, the food becomes more appealing to the mind. It gives the meal a meaningful substance that makes the consumer feel like they aren’t just eating, they’re getting a taste of new, varied flavors that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to experience anywhere else. That’s why we craft our meals the way we do, for the experience.”

Emile soundlessly blinked at Remy.

Remy sighed. “Look, just-- just hand it to Linguini so that he can set it out for him.”

“Okay Remy!” Emile wobbled off to Linguini’s pick-up station with shaky steps.

Remy watched his brother go off with a small smile. He may not completely understand his passion, but he was trying and that was all that mattered. Now that that was over he had to get started with the other orders before the customers started to get antsy.

  
  


“Status report,” Atticus ordered. 

“We’ve gathered more than enough food to last for the night and to be stored for later consumption in case of an emergency. Everyone’s been fed and the base is secured. The humans are still avoiding us, so we shouldn’t have any cause for concern, for now at least. All that’s left to do is to rest for tomorrow,” his advisor, Gabirel, a small, lanky looking rat spewed off with a determined glimmer in his eye. Compared to Atticus, Gabriel was quite short, with a hunched figure, yet his eyes and his voice contained a steady hold that didn’t waver for even a second.

Atticus grunted. “Is there anything specific you wanted me to address, Atticus?” Gabriel questioned.

Atticus took a deep breath. “No, not right now.” He faced Gabriel with a stern look. “You can go rest with the others. There’s something I need to take care of with the other colony.”

Gabriel nodded. “I understand. Have a nice evening Atticus, oh and don’t forget to eat, okay?” Atticus nodded, and Gabriel left. He needn’t worry about that. While making the journey upstairs, he began to reminisce about yesterday's events. He had previously arranged plans for lunch with Emile when he had stumbled into their colony. The two rats had exchanged admittedly awkward introductions and a welcome gift to Emile when he posed his question.

_ “So is it true?” Emile asked. _

_ Atticus’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Is what true?” _

_ Emile’s eyes shone with excitement. “Oh, you know!” He inched closer to Atticus and raised his eyebrows, “That you can cook!” _

_ The surprised look on Atticus’s face gave Emile the answer he was looking for. _

_ “I knew it!” Emile jumped for joy, quite literally. He spun around Atticus shouting something about a “Remy.” Atticus watched him with interest. This rat was far too excited over some cooking ability of his. _

_ Atticus, in all of his thoughtful glory, failed to notice Emile’s paws quickly inching towards his own. With a sudden jerk, Atticus was spun around to face Emile once again. Then, Emile spoke. _

_ “OOOhHhhH, Remy would love to meet you!” _

_ “uH- I-” Atticus tried to get a word out, but Emile’s exhilarated expression stopped him from even taking a breath. Emile stared at Atticus expectantly, waiting for him to say something, anything. He didn’t see any reason to say no. It would provide an opportunity to build a more friendly relationship with the colony above theirs, so why not? “Um, sure?” Atticus replied. _

_ Emile shrieked, “Awesome! I’ll come by for lunch tomorrow then.” He let go of Atticus’s paws and ran off. _

_ Silently, Atticus smiled. Emile was weird, but he had to admit his bold personality was somewhat refreshing. He had gotten used to the mundane pattern he had been living, so his energy was very much welcomed. His curiosity had peaked, just who was that rat? But he would have to wait until lunch the next day if he wanted to have his question solved. _

Though recent, this memory had quickly become a fond one for Atticus. It radiated with warmth, something he dearly missed in his life. He knew next to nothing about Emile, but he was willing to spend some of his alone time getting to know the rat’s colony. Hopefully the rest of the colony would be the same as Emile..

He took a deep breath in, and out. He was here. All he had to do was push open the back doors and he would be entering this new world. And he couldn’t wait to explore every bit of it.


	4. 4

Emile softly stirred the creamy potato soup from the counter with an air of restlessness that he just couldn’t shake. His mind buzzed with thoughts concerning lunch. A thousand different scenarios whizzed around his head. Obviously, he was excited.

Although Atticus hadn’t spoken much, Emile had a feeling that Remy would get along with Atticus. He figured their shared love of food would bring his little brother a sense of comradery that he isn’t able to provide Remy with. The chubby rat tried to support Remy, he had always been there through thick and thin, but never was really sure that he was much help considering their differing personalities. Emile never really found the culinary arts interesting, but it was clear that Remy had a knack for that sort of thing. Whenever Remy had trouble with the restaurant, Emile would offer his aid through laughter and smiles, but that could only work for so long. Eventually, Emile realized Remy needed someone who would not only support him, but understand his love for cooking as well. He was determined to help Remy in any way he can, even if it meant spending less time together. He just hoped Atticus was the answer he’d been looking for.

The soup had reached its simmering point. “Ah, what was it that Remy said to add, 

again?” he mumbled to himself. Emile examined the table for a hint, but found nothing that could jog his memory. “...carrot? No I added that already..I think.... More butter? Or cheese…? Hmm…” his mumbling was cut short when a low, calm voice resounded from the window.: “Some rosemary would be nice to add.”

Emile gasped and whipped his head towards the window to his left. He dropped the spoon he was holding and bounded over to Atticus. His face was but two inches from Atticus’s own when he spoke, “You came!”

Atticus rose a brow in confusion. “Yeah, you asked me to?” he replied.  _ Is he serious, he forgot? I really can’t tell…  _ he pondered. “Well,” he realized, “I’m here, now. What is it that you wanted to talk about?”

If it was even possible, Emile’s smile widened even more. “Right! Come, follow me!” Without letting go of Atticus’s paws, Emile jumped down from the counter and dragged Atticus towards the line leading to the hand washing station. He looked back at Atticus, stating, “Remy said that washing your hands before you eat helps to not get sick! And I don’t want you to get sick so I thought we could wash our hands before we went to see him,” the sunshine child spoke. Atticus grunted in agreement and proceeded to join Emile in his hand washing. Peacefully, the two rats washed their paws together in a comfortable silence.

  
  


“Remy should be around here somewhere,” Emile mumbled. He was still pulling Atticus by the paw when Atticus began to observe his surroundings. The room they were in seemed to be an attic of some sort filled with human-like tables that their colony could fit in along with vines and fairy lights strewn around the room. He glanced to his left and just past Emile and the other rats he could see an opening that gave a view of the restaurant below them. Currently, the restaurant was void of people save for a lanky ginger and a purple(?) haired female who seemed to be setting up the tables. Atticus tore his gaze away from the opening and began to walk alongside Emile rather than just being dragged behind him.

Emile dragged Atticus further into the room until his eyes landed upon Remy sitting in his corner with their father. As the two approached the table Atticus made sure his posture was upright and correct, he could sense that the rat next to the blue one was the leader of the colony.

Emile could feel the tenseness coming off of Atticus next to him in waves. ‘Ah,’ he realized, ‘I should have warned him about dad huh?’


	5. 5

“So...” Emile started, “...this is nice.” Currently, the four were seated at a round table with Atticus having a staring contest with Remy and Emile’s father across the table while trapped in-between the two. The two leaders stared at one another with moderately hostile auras.

Remy and Emile stole small glances at the two before meeting each other’s eyes. Remy subtly tilted his head towards Atticus. Emile’s face scrunched up in confusion. Remy almost rolled his eyes.  _ Say something _ , he mouthed.

Finally, Emile understood. He gestured to the band in the corner and they started to play.

The two leaders continued to stare at one another without any sign of breaking from it anytime soon. Remy wanted to roll his eyes so badly, but he refrained from doing so out of respect for his brother’s silent efforts.  _ I guess it’s up to me, like always…  _ Remy sighed. Remy cleared his throat. “So Atticus, you lead a colony of your own below us, right? Yet you aren’t much older than my brother and I. Tell us about that.”

Atticus shifted his attention towards Remy. “I do what I can when I can. The size of my colony may be small in comparison to yours, but it’s no easy feat. There’s a lot of work to be done, especially with the last leader...leaving...things so abruptly. I may not be as well respected, but nonetheless I continue to do my duties so that my fellow rats can live in peace.” Throughout his small lecture he never once broke eye contact with Remy, making Remy realize just how serious Atticus was, both about his job and in his character. Emile smiled, glad that his brother at least seemed to like his new friend.

However, his father didn’t seem to be as convinced as his sons were. Doubt lingered in his eyes and disapproval could be seen written all over his face.

“So what you’re sayin’ is that a kid such as yourself runs a colony without any adult supervision or advisor by your side? Is that it?” Their father relented.

Atticus, seemingly undisturbed, turned towards the other leader and spoke in a calm and hard voice, “I am not a kid. I stopped being a kid when I took on my position. I don’t play around all day nor do I need some other rat looking over my shoulder 24/7, I can look after myself.”

Silence.

And then a laugh. The oldest colony leader burst out laughing.

Atticus looked on in confusion while Remy and Emile both sighed with relief. That was exactly the answer he had expected of the young leader and he was very pleased to hear so. After a couple of seconds, he looked back up at Atticus with a smile. “I think,” he lifted his hand to his plate of food, “that we’ll get along just fine.” With that, he started eating. Remy began to eat his food with a small smile. Emile grinned widely at Atticus and started messily eating his own food in content. “Dig in, it’s good trust me.”

Atticus, confused as all hell, smiled back and ate his food in silence as well.

It was safe to say that Atticus and his colony were safe to stay for as long as they needed to.


End file.
